fbpx

0 Comments

November 15, 2020

Volume 4: Kanji Form Categories

Fun lesson on Japanese
Kanji characters were formed in several different ways. Knowing these forms may help with recognition.


Volume 4: Kanji Form Categories

六書: What is it? Today we will look at how etymology of kanji are categorized. That is, there are 6 ways the ancient Chinese used to explain how each kanji is put together. Some kanji may have more than one way. These 6 categories are called 六書 pronounced りくしょ (not ろく)

Why am I reading this? Well, probably because you have nothing better to do. But other than the obvious, knowing what these are can be very helpful when using a Japanese kanji dictionary since it will probably explain the kanji's origin.

象形 しょうけい
Kanji that look like (or originally was supposed to look like) the object it represents

EXAMPLES:
 sun - originally somewhat round with a dot in the middle - not sure what the dot was for (if you know please post a comment below)
 moon, month
 mountain - a mountain ridge
 tree - a tree with low hanging branches
 person - a person with no arms doing a split
 child - a child needs a hug

指事 しじ
These are kanji whose meaning is somewhat abstract and is expressed as a kind of code.

EXAMPLES:
 up, above - the small line is above ground level
 heaven - the biggest line is above the man on earth
 book - made from a tree (木)

会意 かいい
This is where 2 characters are put together to create a new meaning.

EXAMPLES:
 ratio, compare - two people(人)
 watch, care for - hand (手) and (目)
 (mountain) pass - 山 (mountain), 上 (up) and 下 (down). This is a 和製漢字, for more click here

形声 けいせい
These are kanji with 2 parts usually one for the pronunciation and one for the meaning.

EXAMPLES:
河 river - sound: 可 (permission) + meaning 水 (water - the three strokes on the left)
問 ask - sound: 門 (gate) + meaning: 口 (mouth)
枯 wither (as in a plant) - sound 古 (old) + meaning 木 (tree) & 古 (old)

転注 てんちゅう
These are kanji that have the original meanings changed (転) to new meanings.

EXAMPLES:
The common example (at least in dictionaries that I consulted!) is the  in 音楽 (music) originally only dealt with music, but since listening to music is pleasurable, 楽 also took on that meaning -> 楽しい

仮借 かしゃ
These are kanji where the meaning is totally ignored. They are borrowed only for their sound.

This can also be called 当て字, ateji - which are kanji used usually for the pronunciation (but can rarely also have meaning like 倶楽部 for Club [together+fun+group = ku ra bu])

Examples of foreign words:
亜米利加
 あめりか - America
亜細亜 アジア - Asia

Examples where a new meaning developed
もと「むぎ」の意味の「来」は、「ライ」という音から「くる」という意味に使われるようになりました。

「来」 kuru/rai (to come) originally meant "barley."The pronunciation 「らい」 was kept but the meaning was dropped and replaced with "to come"

*In both cases, the original meaning of each kanji is ignored and only the sound is used. With 転注 ten chuu, the original meaning is changed not totally ignored.

Note: I believe I have a handle on these last two forms (転注・仮借) but I should consult a few big kanji dictionaries to make sure. If you see something wrong or have anything to add, please leave a comment! - Thanks

Sharing is caring!

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Level up your Japanese!

free-kanji-or-hiragana-offer-final

For Total Beginners

Japanese for beginners - Beri-Beri Shoshinsha

This 15-book study guide + worksheets bundle is ON SALE. For just one-time payment only, you will get this bundle for a very low price plus you will get future contents for free (no additional charge).

Easy to follow and understand

This bundle is perfect for absolute beginners. It's thorough without being wordy, giving you exactly enough information to understand the concepts without overloading you with information. 

TheJapanShop.com Customer

Makoto+ Membership

You'll notice many TheJapanesePage.com lessons have bonus content for Makoto+ Members. Well, membership goes well beyond that. Members also get our monthly magazine for learners of Japanese (Beginners to Intermediates), weekly exclusive lessons, Podcast bonus content, and much more.

>